Deflector means for cutter blades

Abstract

Deflector means for a generally circular cutter blade such as for the cutting of weeds, brush, or the like, which is mounted upon an associated power tool and power-driven thereby for rapidly revolving rotational movement, and having peripherally-spaced cutter teeth. The deflector means are provided rearwardly of the cutter edge of each tooth, and extend outwardly therealong as far as the most outermost portion of the cutter teeth, and extend rearwardly with respect to the cutter edge a significant distance sufficient that upon an engagement of a rigid object by the revolving cutter blade, the rigid object will be relatively deflected outwardly by the deflector means, and thus preventing engagement of the cutter tooth and the rigid object which would nick or otherwise damage the cutter tooth and/or its cutter edge, or which would cause other harm or accident.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A generally circular cutter blade for the cutting of weeds, brush, or the like, for rotationally powered mounting upon an associated power tool, and being power-driven by the associated tool for rapidly revolving rotational movement, the cutter blade having peripherally-spaced cutter teeth each having a cutter edge facing the direction the teeth are caused to move by power of the associated tool upon which the cutter blade is mounted, the improvement for such a cutter blade, comprising:   the provision of deflector means rearwardly of the cutter edge of each tooth, having reference to the direction the teeth are caused to move in the cutter blade's said powered revolving movement as powered by the tool,   the deflector means extending outwardly along that rearward space at least as far as the most outermost portion of the cutter tooth, and extending rearwardly with respect to the cutter edge a significant distance,   the said significant distance being sufficient, considering the speed of revolving rotational movement of the cutter blade and the distance between cutter teeth, that upon an engagement of a rigid object by the cutter blade, while the cutter blade is in its revolving rotational movement as powered by the associated power tool, the rigid object will be relatively deflected by the deflector means, relatively outwardly away from relative movement inwardly of the outer portions of the deflector means, thereby preventing engagement of the cutter tooth and the rigid object which would nick or otherwise damage the cutter tooth and/or its cutter edge, and/or which would cause a relatively unyielding fulcrum which would cause a change in the direction of movement of the associated power tool, and/or which would cause other harm or accident, yet, nevertheless, the circumferential length of the deflector means is short enough that the length of the non-deflecting region relatively behind the deflector means is sufficiently long so as to accommodate a resilient spring-back, of the type of weeds, brush, or other material to be cut, so that the material to be cut will enter that non-deflecting region and thus be cut by engagement therewith by the cutting edges of the cutter teeth, even though more rigid objects will be relatively deflected from the cutter teeth edges as aforesaid;   in a combination in which the deflector means rearwardly of each tooth extends rearwardly of the cutter edge of the respective tooth about one-third of the distance from the tooth's cutter edge to the next adjacent tooth rearward of the tooth.